VANCOUVER -- More than half of British Columbians support a ban on genetically engineered foods in Canada, according to a poll by Insights West.

Among those people who reported a negative opinion of GE foods — popularly known as genetically modified organisms or GMOs — many cited concern for their health, doubts about the long-term effects of GMOs and a preference for natural foods. The online poll of 1,339 people in B.C. and Alberta was conducted in January.

“People have a lot of questions about this [technology] and whether it is good or bad,” said pollster Mario Canseco. “Is this something that is going to save the planet or do harm?”

“Compared to Albertans, we are more fearful and vocal in our animosity to GMOs and maybe that’s not surprising. We exercise more and we are more health conscious,” he said. “But I was by surprised the strength of support for a ban on GMOs. Unless it is something that we know is terrible or dangerous, it is rare to that level of support.”

Such a ban would be enormously disruptive to the agri-food industry and could affect up to 80 per cent of foods on grocery stores shelves, according to industry estimates. Most processed and ready-to-eat foods contain ingredients from the most commonly grown GE crops, including corn, soy, canola, cottonseed and sugar beets.

Respondents to a recent national Ipsos Reid poll on genetic engineering found widespread awareness of the presence of GMOs in the food system. A majority claimed to understand the issues, but people are generally confused about which foods are genetically engineered and deeply divided about the potential risks and benefits.

“People believe that they know more than they actually know,” said Bev Stangeland, executive director of BioAccess Commercialization Centre.

Her group commissioned the Ipsos Reid telephone survey of 1,200 Canadians done late last year.

Canadians are evenly divided over simple questions, such as whether certified organic foods contain GMOs and whether eating GMOs is a risk to human health.

“There is a lack of clear knowledge and people tend to get their information from the sources they trust the least,” she said. Scientific studies are rated as the most credible source of information on GMOs, but respondents are far more likely to consult Internet sources for their information.

“People have a lot of questions and nobody is coming out and answering them, certainly nobody that they trust,” said Stangeland. “People hear about the fight over whether genetically engineered foods should be labelled and they wonder why it’s not labelled.”

As a result, the public discussion about GMOs and labelling is driven by fear, she said.

Health Canada considers foods derived from genetic modification that are demonstrated to be safe and nutritious as equivalent to non-GMO versions of the food and therefore not requiring special labels. The government reviews safety and field tests by proponents before novel products and GE seeds can be brought to market.

According to Health Canada’s biotechnology backgrounder, “After twelve years of reviewing the safety of novel foods, Health Canada is not aware of any published scientific evidence demonstrating that novel foods are any less safe than traditional foods.”

In focus groups conducted in B.C. and Ontario to assist in the design of the Ipsos survey, people were most concerned by the lack of certainty over long-term effects of eating genetically engineered food, said Stangeland.

The survey found that about three quarters of Canadians are uneasy about the long-term effects of eating GE foods, but in focus groups most people seem resigned to the fact that they are found in most foods, she said.

In the survey, nearly 80 per cent of British Columbians say that organic and non-GMO product claims influence their buying behaviour, but they are least likely to pay more to obtain non-GMO foods.

“Interestingly, British Columbians are also becoming more suspicious of organic labels, whether things that say they are organic really are organic,” said Stangeland.

People carry signs during a protest against chemical giant Monsanto in Los Angeles, California, May 25, 2013. Marches and rallies against Monsanto and genetically modified organisms (GMO) food and seeds have been held across the U.S. and Canada with protesters calling attention to the dangers posed by GMO food.

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